Set your morning up for success

I am not a morning person. This is not something I say proudly. The world we live in seems to have an obsession with early birds catching the worm and early to rise being key to health, wealth and wisdom.

In time though, I have come to accept that it is something that doesn’t come naturally to me and I have to make significant effort towards increasing my productivity early in the day.

Whether you are a morning person or not, there is one thing I have come to understand through studying the people I admire. They make the most of the first few hours of their day before distractions take over.

So whether you rise at 4am or 7am, if you ensure that you put a system in place to set your day up for success then you will reap some notable rewards.

Just a few minutes earlier

If you find that your mornings are frazzled, try and wake up just five minutes earlier. Or resist the urge to hit the snooze button if this is a favourite. Take these five minutes to slowly breathe in and out, visualizing a great day ahead and saying a silent prayer of gratitude.

Having a gratitude routine and a morning built around mindfulness has been cited by a host of successful people as a game changer.

Move

If you can incorporate a workout or a walk in the morning, then do. If not, do a simple stretch when you get up, some yoga or meditation poses are great for this. Incorporate activities such as taking the stairs to your office instead of the elevator or parking farther from your usual spot to give you some time outside.

Music

Do you have a happy song that puts you in the frame of mind to conquer everything in your way? Choose a tune that inspires you and record in on your phone.

Then see whether it actually improves your mood to listen to this in the morning, and on particularly grueling days when it seems as if everything has started off on the wrong foot.